


The One Thing Between Us

by Marie198



Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Gen, Sawada Tsunayoshi Is Not Vongola Decimo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-07
Updated: 2020-04-07
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:02:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23521246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marie198/pseuds/Marie198
Summary: Tsuna is left to die by his father after an incident that caused him to lose his organs--only for Rokudo Mukuro to give him a proposal that would give him another chance to live.
Relationships: Rokudou Mukuro & Sawada Tsunayoshi
Comments: 11
Kudos: 142





	The One Thing Between Us

**Author's Note:**

> This is again one of the fanfics where I wrote a year plus ago and had left it in my Wattpad account to rot. Took it out after that to polish it up. Have to say, I wasn't expecting it to change the way it did but hey, I kind of like it!

When Tsuna woke up, the white ceiling and the beeping of the various medical instruments told him that he was in a precarious situation. 

He tried to get up, but he was so deadbeat, and he could barely move. What was going on? He wrecked his brain for any hints, and he blanched as he realized what could have brought him into this situation. 

He remembered pushing a young girl away from a speeding truck, and due to its speed, he wasn’t able to react in time to get out of it. He cursed his luck. Fuck. Just how bad were his wounds now? As he saw the numerous machines, he had a very bad feeling, almost bordering onto his “hyper intuition” he never really put much stock to it. (Tsuna hadn’t figured out how intuition could be in the genetic code, but considering how blind-bat his brother was at sensing danger, he didn’t really believe in the magical intuition in their blood. Though he would admit that he did have good intuition. He just did not believe it would be due blood flowing in him.)

He didn’t need more confirmation about his condition when he started hearing the conversation outside.

"I will not do this, Reborn!"

His father's voice spoke, and Tsuna pictured him shaking in fury, with hands clenched and eyes blazing. Tsuna could guess what his father was saying based on the context--he was in the hospital, likely a minute from death, and he was standing just outside of the same hospital room he was going to die inside. Tsuna’s father, Sawada Iemitsu, had no intention on saving his son. 

He honestly wasn’t expecting any more than this--his father had always been finding a chance to get rid of Tsuna, as long as it did not cause him to lose his position in Vongola itself.

Reborn, the Vongola Nono’s voice piece, started to persuade his stubborn father. 

"He is your son. You can't just leave him to death like that. And plus, I didn't ask you to give your organs to him. We can find transplanters for him." 

“Transplanters are not easy to find--”

“You can fool a ten-year-old with those words, but don’t think you can give me that lame excuse, Iemitsu. You just don’t want to save him.”

It was silent for a moment before his father laughed. Tsuna felt a prick of pain in his heart, not because Iemitsu, his father, was laughing but because that laughter reminded him that he was bound to the mafia world by blood, never being truly free, even when he was inches from death. 

His life was already decided by Vongola. It seemed like his death would be the same.

“Tsuna should have died with that whore I was with. The only reason he is still living is because Nono would never let me kill him. I honestly should have killed him when his mother had died then.”

Tsuna bristled. His mother was no whore. Fumiko Nana did everything to care for Tsuna, even when she admitted that Tsuna was initially meant to threaten Iemitsu into giving her a better life. “I gave up on that, Tsu-kun, when I realized that you already gave me one by being my child.”

Iemitsu, who was born with the golden spoon, would never understand how desperate a person who was utterly dead poor would do. 

He had no right to judge her _at all._

"He is your family, Iemitsu. He still has Vongola blood in him, and there are very few left in this world who have your bloodline. Keeping him alive is more beneficial than killing him."

The anger in Tsuna was sapped with the cringe that came as a reaction to Reborn’s words. Did they really think Tsuna was going to have children in the future in order to continue the Sawada line? He never wanted children, and after being involved with the mess called mafia, he didn’t want it even more. He had no qualms about crimes--he committed more crimes than the normal folks did--but he had no intentions to let anybody get trapped in the family like he was. That was the most suffocating way to live, being stuffed into a box built by those who should let you be free. 

"Are you sure about that, Reborn? If he lives, there is a chance that he will fight with Takeo. And that will bring a whole lot of chaos to the familga. Nono wouldn't like that. It is better to keep one heir alive to carry the position and eliminate the other."

"Even so, Nono wouldn't be happy with your actions. You know he would never accept a possible heir getting killed."

"Well, I already prevented the news from traveling to Nono. Tsuna will be considered dead as long as nobody says it out. "

"You're vile, Iemitsu. Nono will _know_ this.”

"Reborn, you know what happens if you allow this news to get to Nono. I might not know what happened to her pretty head. What was her name, again? Ally? Yuki?"

Tsuna shivered at the threat, knowing that if Reborn could be threatened, then his chances of surviving had dwindled from less than probable to null. Nono may work to save him, but it would only likely happen if Reborn had reported to Nono. 

At Reborn’s next words, Tsuna resigned. 

"Mind your head, Iemitsu. You will regret your actions one day. And when that day comes, you never know who will hold the gun to your head." Tsuna imagined Reborn holding his fedora, looking up at his father with those soulless black orbs. 

"Are you going to be the one?" 

There was silence in replacement of an answer that Reborn didn’t give.

Tsuna heard them walk away--or more accurately, he heard Iemitsu walk away. He didn’t know if Reborn had since that hitman never made a sound when moving. But after a while, Tsuna relaxed, feeling a little less tense after hearing the exchange between the greatest hitman to ever live and the outside advisor of Italy's most powerful mafia familga. 

Once the tension had subsided, Tsuna found himself crying, tears flowing out without hesitation, the tears that he held back since his mother was killed by that assassin who had a grudge against Vongola, who had similarly kidnapped him and ended up killed himself, leaving Tsuna at the mercy of a familga that would never, ever, let him go unless death took him.

Tsuna knew that, but despite the chains called Vongola, he had no intention to just submit to accepting their bullshit. He worked hard ever since, doing his best to get into a prestigious school. He got into the mafia world with a different identity, making connections as much as he could, so that he could use them for his quest of getting out of Vongola’s grasp. Making money, getting high grades, taking dangerous jobs and making a name out of himself--Tsuna did all that with his will and hope, even when he always knew the possibility of never truly succeeding.

But he _had to_ , even if it meant he would die trying. Reborn always taught Takeo about dying will--like as if that was something that could be taught. Tsuna scoffed. Dying will was learned by living with fear, and being sick of fear itself, being haunted by regrets and being sick of regrets itself, being ruled by instincts to submit and being sick of submitting. 

Tsuna knew what dying will was the day his mother was killed.

But yet he wasn’t dying because he was found out by Vongola about his attempt to get out of their grasp. He wasn’t dying because Vongola chased after him, wanting to get him under their control again.

No, he was dying because of this stupid act of reckless kindness that sprouted in him at the sight of life dwindling by a pure accident, and his father took advantage of that.

Shamal was right--Tsuna was soft. 

And that was his downfall.

Tears kept streaming out, but he couldn’t really find in himself to hate the decision to save that little girl. There was something Tsuna reclaimed back when he pushed that girl away, the little kindness that was slowly dwindling with the people he killed, the cheating of the innocent and the numerous other crimes he never spoke about. 

For the first time, he felt like he was his real self. Not the person who he constructed out in order to process all the horrible things he did for his own selfish desire for freedom.

And maybe...maybe that was why he was fine now.

He was fine dying now. He probably deserved it, but at least he exchanged his life for a girl who was going to live. 

It wasn’t much, but he would take it.

He closed his eyes and pushed away his burning anger, which was easier than he thought. Maybe it was because Tsuna had been tired of holding that anger over the years. And it was then that he realized he had spent those years of his life being angry, making it a fuel for him to get through life for the what-if happiness he had hoped to achieve. 

A what-if happiness that would never happen now.

He opened his eyes, then looked determined at the ceiling. 

He was going to spend his last moments as happy (if he could call it that) as he could be. And the only thing that would make him smile would be the memories he had of his sweet mother. 

So that was how his day went by, and as Tsuna smiled at the time his mother had baked him a cake for his birthday (it tasted awful, but they laughed over Nana’s attempt and eventually bought a cake and Nana even let him eat fast food because it was his birthday), a hint of something otherness hit him. Tsuna’s eyes darted to the corner of the room where he sensed that otherness. As the figure came into shape from the mist flames (Tsuna really hated mist users--they were elusive and annoying), Tsuna’s eyes went wide.

Did Rokudo Mukuro, one of the most fearsome mist users who had destroyed every mafia familga involved in human experimentation, appear right in front of him? Tsuna and him met when Tsuna adorned his other identity in the mafia, but Tsuna wasn’t even on Rokudo Mukuro’s radar when he was just plain Tsuna--Takeo was more of his concern then. 

“I wasn’t really expecting this when I heard Vongola Tenth’s brother is dying.”

 _Oh,_ Tsuna thought, _he was just checking on whether he can use me._

“I can hear your thoughts, Kuro-kun.”

At the sound of the name, Tsuna narrowed his eyes at Mukuro. _So you knew,_ he thought snarkily as much as he could.

“You were very helpful in helping me locate your brother. I waste less time trying to get at Vongola Tenth’s body than using you. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting that kind of backstabbing to occur among family--”

_Takeo is never family. My only family is dead, Rokudo._

Silence. “So you have no loyalty towards Vongola, even though you have gained Nono’s trust?”

_Nono would be foolish if he trusted an information broker like me. He may put up that show of trust, but he wants me by his side because if anybody else would have me, it would do no good to Vongola. If you believe for a second that Nono trusts me, you are more of a fool than I thought._

Rokudo stared into his eyes, seemingly relieved. 

“So you are not loyal to them at all.”

Tsuna snorted in his mind. _What do you want, Rokudo? As you can see, I can hardly do anything now._

Rokudo walked to the curtains, slowly drawing it away and looking outside. 

“I’m going to become Vongola’s Mist guardian.”

Tsuna’s eyes widened again. _That’s impossible. Miyano is the--_

“Nagi is not suitable in their eyes. She is not loyal to Takeo, and Nagi has always been the kind of person that will never let anybody control her. Nagi will _kill_ herself before Vongola forces her into anything she does not wish to do. The fact that she had let an assassin go close to Takeo was already sealing her fate.”

_You know Miyano Nagi well._

“She’s my sister, Sawada Tsunayoshi.” Rokudo turned to him, staring at him reverently. He grabbed his pants tightly. “The mafia already took so much from me. I won’t let Nagi be taken away.”

_And why would they want you instead, Rokudo?_

“Because they can control me. As long as Ken and Chikusa are in their hands, I would never let Takeo die, nor would I go against Vongola.”

_I thought you didn’t care about them._

Rokudo turned away. 

Tsuna honestly hadn’t expected Rokudo to care for anybody. The man who paid him for a job was a smiling creep who relished in playing with humans as he pleased. But if Tsuna, who had a bleeding heart before, could kill people without hesitation for his own freedom, then he supposed Rokudo could love people.

 _What do you want me to do?_ Tsuna decided if Rokudo was asking him for any contacts to help in this situation, Tsuna could give him some (he might have to do some persuading for the bigger connections, but he should be able to, even when dying). He was going to die anyway, and Miyano was one of the few who didn’t really hate him, unlike the other guardians who followed Takeo’s course. He did not really mind if she had lived. 

But what Rokudo was asking for was far bigger than he thought.

“Protect Nagi. And get Chikusa and Ken out of Vongola’s grasp.”

Tsuna ran through his list of people that he could call on to do it. Not many, he was afraid. _I guess I can ask Shoichi to help you with that--_

“I don’t want anybody but you, Sawada Tsunayoshi, to do it personally.”

Tsuna blinked. _How,_ he paused in his thoughts, _how do you think that can be accomplished when I’m in this state?_

“I can save you.” Rokudo stared at him. 

_Rokudo, if you try to get transplants for me, my father will know. He has more power than you--_

“You don’t need transplants. My real illusions are enough.”

_Real illusions?_

“Yes.”

_Illusions can’t replace proper organs--_

“Real ones can. You mafia folks don’t know it because it is invented by Estraneo, but when I say I can save you, I mean every word, Sawada Tsunayoshi. These illusions should be enough for you to find the time for transplants and do what I ask you to.”

_How about my body? My father would know if I stepped out of the hospital alive. I can’t exactly help you if I’m being hunted down myself._

“I’ll make a real illusion of your dead body.”

_What makes you think you can fool my father?_

“What makes you think your father would come personally to see your body?”

_Nono might._

“He won’t. He is busy with Vongola. He will not come down to see the dead body of a spare heir who supposedly has no ties to the mafia except being the son of Sawada Iemitsu.”

Tsuna mulled over what Mukuro said. He had a good point that Tsuna hadn’t thought of. And considering the problems that Nono had with the other branches of Vongola aside from the Varia, it is likely that Nono would take the words of Iemitsu and Reborn (if Reborn is truly powerless--something Tsuna found it hard to accept).

 _Give me a good reason,_ Tsuna began, _to help you, Rokudo Mukuro._

“Your life--”

 _Not that,_ Tsuna thought irritatedly. _Give me a good reason why you want to protect those people so much. Give me a good reason that will justify all the effort I will have to exert for that protection. I’m ready to die over here, and now you are giving me a chance to live. The problem is you are not giving me a good reason to live to help you in any way._

It wasn’t that Tsuna did not want to live, but if he was going to do this, Tsuna wanted to help because he wanted to, not because of another chance at living again. He had learned his lesson--focusing so hard on living would not give him actual meaning that he craved secretly in his life. And as he stared at Rokudo, he felt a kinship with him. Rokudo was a man who was an experimentee in Estraneo, trapped within mafia’s darkest self, and he broke out, making his mark on the mafia world in the most brutal manner. Yet he was drawn back to Vongola, another trap of its own, a trap that Tsuna shared with him in an almost strange manner. 

Both in the same situation, just with different names and different implications.

Rokudo was silent for a moment. “Is there a real reason,” he looked away, before breathing in and turning back to him, “for anybody to want to protect their loved ones?”

Tsuna looked at him, and he was brought back to the time where his mother had whispered to him while in bed, lying with him after reading a storybook. “Tsu-kun, mama loves you.” Those same words were said when she crawled to him, after blocking him from the bullets that riddled her body, uttering them with her last breath.

If there was a reason for protecting him then, his mother would have said “because you are my son”, which wasn’t a real reason that he was asking from Rokudo. Rokudo was protecting them because they were his family--it was as simple as that. 

He stared into Rokudo. 

_You got yourself the deal, Rokudo Mukuro._

At least they both knew what the importance of family was, and he could work with a man like that.

**Author's Note:**

> I posted this for like a day, and I really got a lot of people clicking on it and giving kudos. Honestly, I wasn’t expecting anything when I uploaded this, but thank you very much to everybody who find this worth reading! I’m glad my fanfic isn’t rotting away like before. XD


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